


Soul Searching

by Libraryadia, Mara_Jade101



Series: Kids No More [6]
Category: The Cluefinders
Genre: F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kid Detectives AU, Kidnapping, M/M, Multi, Romantic Soulmates, Soul Bond, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, The Kids aren't homophobic, Torture, but homophobia is implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:56:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 7,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28053528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Libraryadia/pseuds/Libraryadia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mara_Jade101/pseuds/Mara_Jade101
Summary: The Cluefinders have been friends for years and always dealt with the mysteries and trouble they find wherever they go. But now, in the middle of trying to solve the mysteries of their own hearts, trouble finds one of their own and for the first time, the team is lost.Can they solve the darkest case of their lives before it’s too late?
Relationships: Joni Savage & Josie Savage, Joni Savage & Santiago Rivera & Owen Lam & Leslie Clark, Joni Savage & Santiago Rivera & Owen Lam & Leslie Clark & Laptrap, Joni Savage/Santiago Rivera/Owen Lam/Leslie Clark, Josie Savage/Sebastian Rivera, Leslie Clark & Riley Clark, Owen Lam & Oscar Lam, Riley Clark/Oscar Lam, Santiago Rivera & Sebastian Rivera
Series: Kids No More [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1889242
Comments: 3
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1: Santiago

The Cluefinders sat in a companionable quiet in the Savage backyard, doing homework and in Santiago’s case, working on one of his inventions.

Joni’s cell phone suddenly chirped out a text alert and she glanced at it before breaking into giggles.

“Something funny?” Santiago asked as Owen and Leslie looked up from their work.

“Apparently Owen and Leslie need to stop their siblings from being gross,” Joni said, still giggling. “Josie isn’t happy with their PDA.”

“Riley is my elder sibling,” Leslie said solemnly, though with a wry grin. “Unless the matter is one of import, they have no reason to listen to my suggestions and I have no reason to give them.”

“And Oscar hasn’t listened to me about anything except boarding since...well...forever,” Owen said with a shrug. “Apparently babysitting your sister is a breeze compared to keeping me out of trouble.” Owen suddenly chuckled. “Which is you guys’ job now apparently.”

“That and get you into trouble,” Joni said as she shook her head and began typing out her reply to her younger sister. “The most hilarious thing about this is that technically, against all odds, Josie actually has a right to be annoyed at them at the moment. I swear; the only person who doesn’t know Sebastian has a crush on Josie is Josie.”

“The penny is in the air,” Owen quipped, making everyone laugh.

“Quite a fitting reference,” Leslie added. “Given the red hair Josie possesses.”

This just encouraged the laughter.

As Santiago listened to his best friends laughing, he felt a flutter in his chest that immediately dumped metaphorical cold water over him though he managed to keep his change of mood under wraps. He had known that he wasn’t straight for a while but...it was one thing to have crushes on both guys and girls but quite another to have that kind of feelings for his best friends.

_“And why exactly is that?”_

Santiago bit back a groan. _‘Shut up Sebastian. You have a crush on a friend. Not your best friends. I’m not breaking us up...I couldn’t live with that…’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys! Mara Jade here, and we're excited to bring you another installment in the "Kids No More" series! This one focuses on the Cluefinders and how they got together to begin with. We hope you enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2- Joni

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joni struggles with her emotions.

Joni shook her head as she stopped laughing. “Anyway, I think I should let her know, or just point it out at least.”

Owen shook his head. “No… let Sebastian make a fool of himself trying to impress her and then point it out.”

She burst into giggles again. “I wonder how long that’s going to last.”

Santiago just shook his head, a ~~gorgeous~~ smile on his face. “If we’re talking about my brother, it's going to take a while…”

Owen laughed and Joni smiled at her ~~crushes~~ best friends’ antics. While she knew that they were everything she loved and that she would love to be with all of them, she knew that the world would never see it that way...


	3. Chapter 3: Leslie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie can't help but feeling like something's... off.

Leslie bit back the sigh she felt building.  _ ‘How aggravating. I know precisely how I feel and what I want but am unable to articulate it because I have yet to ascertain if there is reciprocation of those feelings and desires. I wonder if other teenagers have such worries.’ _

“Oh! Santiago, have you heard from your parents, Dude?” Owen asked out of the blue.

Santiago shook his head. “They’ve gone off the grid for a while. Last time I heard from them was right before Sebastian left on the club trip.”

Joni shook her head. “Hard to believe that there are still revolutionaries in Latin America.”

Santiago shrugged. “It’s a bit of a misnomer but apparently it’s the closest label to what they actually do that is still safe to use when discussing it.”

Leslie suddenly felt a chill running up her spine and glanced over her shoulder.

“Les?” Owen asked in concern. “You okay?”

Leslie shook her head. “I...it was as though someone were watching us.”

“Like a crazy fan?” Joni asked, following Leslie’s gaze with her own eyes narrow.

Leslie shook her head. “While that would be unpleasant, it would be something I am equipped to deal with. This...I can’t articulate what this is but it feels like something out of my depth.”

Joni finally let out a sigh. “Well, I don’t see anyone so I guess either it was someone harmless or you were imagining things.”

Leslie nodded slowly. “Yes. That...that was probably it.”

The conversation changed to more pleasant topics but Leslie couldn’t banish the feeling of unease now resting on her shoulders. Something was brewing but what?


	4. Chapter 4- Álvaro Garcia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie's hunch pays off, and Álvaro Garcia has an idea.

Álvaro García had stepped out of the way just before the… wordy African-American girl had turned around to spot him and sighed in relief. She hadn't spotted him, which meant the target hadn't spotted him yet.

Which meant the plan was working.

He quickly backed away from the target’s friend’s backyard and walked away, looking around to make sure that no one had seen him or was following him before calmly walking toward the bus stop. As soon he got on board the bus, he sat down in a seat and crossed his legs, pulling out a notepad and jotting down an idea he’d had while he was there.

  * _3/28/24- Target clearly cares for friends and fears for their lives… possibly use that fear against him? Maybe threaten friends’ lives to get him to comply?_




	5. Chapter 5: Owen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen and Leslie are worried.

Owen watched Leslie out of the corner of his eye. To anyone else, she seemed to be her usual self, busily taking history notes while listening intently to their teacher. But for him, the way she periodically played with her hair with her free hand spoke volumes.

He caught her attention and then signed  _ “You okay?” _

_ “Not really,”  _ she signed back, using the shorthand the Cluefinders had developed so that they could still sign understandably even with only one hand.  _ “I can’t shake that feeling I had in the yard yesterday.” _

_ “We didn’t see anyone,” _ he pointed out.  _ “I think you might just be getting paranoid.” _

Her hand went stiff and he realized that probably had been the wrong thing to say. This was swiftly confirmed when Leslie continued, her signs harsh and angry.  _ “I would think not wanting any of us to be kidnapped AGAIN would fall under reasonable circumstances. Though I suppose I need to call it Properly Paranoid.” _

Owen winced. Not only did he have no idea how she managed to sign the capitalized letters in Properly Paranoid (he had been a bit surprised how quickly Leslie became fond of TV Tropes but given that it was a database, he probably shouldn’t have been) but the hurt on her face was killing him. _ “I...I didn’t mean it like that,”  _ he signed slowly.  _ “I just meant that we’re not on a case right now. No one’s been released or escaped from jail. We haven’t seen Lovelace in years. There’s no one to come after us.”  _ He gave a weak grin and then signed  _ “And it’s not like Joni’s tried on any cursed jewelry lately.” _

Leslie let out the tiniest laugh and to his relief, it was clearly only tiny because she didn’t want the teacher to catch them.  _ “You are right, Owen. I suppose I feel better now.” _

_ “Glad to help.” _

Owen watched as Leslie went back to her note-taking, her body language back to normal. He let out a sigh of relief.  _ ‘Seeing her worried sucks.’  _ As he watched Leslie continue her note-taking, she started playing with her pen and he felt a flutter in his chest, one he had noticed he kept feeling any time one of his best friends did something that was small but so completely them.  _ ‘And that’s enough of that!...We’re friends. That’s all.’ _

_ “Didn’t we agree that those words were the dumbest thing Yumi could have said to ‘fix’ her problems?” _

_ ‘Shut up, Oscar. This isn’t a French anime; this is real life,’ _ Owen grumbled mentally.

After all, why would three of the smartest people Owen knew want anything like that from him? Smart people being attracted to dumb ones only happened in fiction after all…


	6. Chapter 6: Santiago

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Santiago gets caught off-guard and is kidnapped.

Santiago got off the school bus alone, Joni having had to stay at school for play practice (she had a decently important part of the production of “Much Ado” so the drama teacher was rather insistent that Joni attend all practices save for extenuating circumstances...which the school had determined included “came across another mystery”; it should have been annoying that no one believed the Cluefinders weren’t actively cursed but while he didn’t believe that was the case, he could see why other people would) and Owen and Leslie having family matters to deal with.

“Laptrap, I’m back!” he called as he entered the house.

At the silence, he cocked an eyebrow and went looking for the Cluefinders’ computerized member.

Finally he found Laptrap sitting on the living room table, dead to the world and completely shut off.

“What in the...Oh; right. Your major update patch...So today was the day for that. Huh.”

Santiago shrugged and decided to get started on his homework. It wasn’t like he had anything else to do.

XXX

Having finished his homework, Santiago was now working on one of his inventions, near-fully engrossed in what he was doing.

Suddenly however, he heard what sounded like glass breaking. _‘Did someone hit a ball through the window?...No; that wasn’t what I heard.’_

Against his better judgement, he carefully crept towards the source of the sound.

_‘Joni, you are a terrible influence…’_

It turned out that a window had indeed broken but it clearly hadn’t been an accident given the strange man who was opening the front door to let in several other men.

_‘And this is the part where I run like hell…’_

Santiago quickly started for the back door but didn’t get far before he found himself being slammed into a wall from behind.

 _“Well, well. What have we here?”_ a voice asked mockingly in Spanish.

Santiago managed to shift so that he was facing both the speaker and his assailant. _“What do you want?”_ he growled.

 _“What a rude little brat,”_ the man who had him pinned to the wall remarked offhandedly. _“Clearly no proper training. Eh, Álvaro?”_

The man who was apparently named Álvaro shrugged. _“Considering what his parents do and how they entrust his care to, I’m not surprised.”_

_“Again, what do you want?”_

Álvaro glared but answered anyway _“I want you to come with me quietly and without fuss. We have business with your parents and require your...”_

Santiago managed to knee his captor in the stomach and took off. He almost made it to the back door before being tackled.

Álvaro came over again and snarled _“All right, Brat. I had hoped you would be reasonable but you’ve forced my hand. Your three little friends, they mean quite a lot to you, yes?”_

Santiago’s heart was suddenly in his throat. _“If you hurt them…”_

 _“If you come with me without any more fuss, I will have no reason to do so,”_ Álvaro said, as though he was making a perfectly reasonable request. _“Continue to resist and…”_

_“All right! I’ll...I’ll come with you…”_

Álvaro’s laugh made Santiago’s skin crawl and the head pat that followed made it worse. _“Good boy.”_ Álvaro turned to his men. _“Let’s go, Boys.”_

Santiago dragged his feet as much as he could get away with, knocking things slightly out of place, pulling drawers or cabinets slightly open and actions of that nature. _‘No way Joni will miss these…’_

When they had finally reached what was clearly the getaway vehicle, Álvaro suddenly stopped and glared at Santiago. _“Before we go, search him. Leave anything that could be used to...disrupt our plans.”_

Santiago froze. _‘Fuck…’_

Sure enough, the search turned up not just his cell phone but his red video phone, both of which were quickly tossed onto the lawn.

Álvaro smirked at Santiago’s distress. _“That’s better. Can’t have any interference. Our plans have quite the strict time table.”_

As Santiago was shoved into the van, his mind raced. _‘What do I do now? There’s always been someone to find me when I was in trouble before but they knew where to look…’_

A stab to his arm interrupted his train of thought and his last conscious thought was _‘Please let them find me...please…’_


	7. Chapter 7- Joni

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joni searches for Santiago.

Joni shook her head as she finally got off the bus and walked toward her house, her phone in her hand as she was texting Santiago that she was coming home. When he didn't answer straight away, she felt her heart sink. 

_ ‘He’s fine, Joni… he’s probably working on an invention and not able to answer straight away…’ _

She got to her house and froze on the driveway. There on the lawn were both of Santiago’s phones, his normal one looking like it had been...

_ ‘He’s fine… he has to be fine…’ _ she thought, running past them, briefly noting the front window had been shattered open as she bolted into the house. She yanked open the front door and sprinted inside, looking around as small things were knocked over the counters, drawers and cabinets were pulled open, and Santiago-

Wasn't-

There-

She stumbled back outside and fumbled with her red phone, pressing the dial button for Owen and Leslie...

Santiago’s phone started shaking as she held the phone to her ear, and  _ ‘Something’s REALLY wrong if he left that behind...’ _

_ “Joni? What’s wrong?” _ Owen asked over the phone.

“SANTIAGO’S BEEN KIDNAPPED!!!” she yelled, tears flowing down her face.

“WHAT?!?”


	8. Chapter 8: Leslie/Josie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joni and Leslie nearly get suspended, and Josie is started to get worried.

Leslie picked at her lunch as she gave Joni an uneasy look. It hadn’t even been a day and yet the school had completely blown up with rumors and speculation about Santiago’s disappearance...most of them centered on the Cluefinders’ mystery magnet ways.

Owen leaned over to whisper “She’s going to snap any minute now.”

Leslie nodded, not taking her eyes off Joni who was stabbing her own food with a fork, somehow managing to look simultaneously lost in thought and near-murderous.

“Well, well, well.”

Leslie didn’t stop the groan that the new voice summoned. _ ‘What is Clarissa doing over here?’ _

Joni looked up and glared at the smug blond who had come over. “What do you want, Cunningham?”

Clarissa’s “sympathetic” expression had clearly just been plastered on and was utterly poisonous. “I just wanted to say how sorry I am about how royally you fucked up.”

Joni froze. Leslie hurried to grab her hand reassuringly as Owen growled “What are you talking about?”

Clarissa let out a light laugh. “Well, clearly for all her bragging about her leadership skills, Savage here can’t actually back it up.” Her expression turned into a malicious smile. “After all, a REAL leader would have known if someone was stalking one of her followers.”

Joni yanked her hand out of Leslie’s and stood up. Clarissa’s smile faltered as Joni was both taller than she was and more athletic.

“Joni, don’t do anything stupid,” Owen warned.

Joni let out a long breath and then growled “Unlike you, Cunningham, I don’t have followers. I have FRIENDS. And I’m getting sick and tired of having to deal with your ‘I’m pretty and rich so I should get everything I ask for’ shtick. I get good roles in school plays because I’m a good actor who listens to the teacher; you get bit parts because you’re a hack, won’t try to get better and won’t take directions. I’m popular because I treat people well; you think the world owes you because your grandfather made some lucky investments and plan to be nothing but a useless trust fund brat. Now get out of my face; I’m done with you.”

The cafeteria was silent as Joni stalked off. Clarissa gaped after her and then turned to her hanger ons. “Geez. What a bitch. No wonder nobody wants to go out with her.”

Leslie wasn’t quite sure what happened after that other than her vision went red and when it cleared, she was outside the school, Owen gripping her hand tightly and he and Joni giving her concerned looks. “May I ask what transpired?”

“Dude! You tried to deck Clarissa!” Owen said in a mix of awe and worry. “I mean she totally deserved it but getting suspended wouldn’t have helped anything.”

“Ah. I assume you extracted me from the situation?”

Owen nodded. “And we convinced the principal to give us some time off. Open-ended too; until they find Santiago.”

Joni let out a bitter laugh as her phone let out a text alert that they all ignored. “God knows we need it…”

XXX

Josie frowned down at her cell phone. She had sent Joni a text not long ago but despite it being lunchtime back in San Francisco and thus a period of school when students could have their phones out, Joni hadn’t even opened it...

“What’s up, Josie?” Oscar asked.

“Joni’s ignoring me,” she said uneasily. “She didn’t even read my last text.”

“She’s probably just gotten caught up in a case,” Riley said with a shrug. “You know how often those end up in dead zones.”

“Or she forgets her phone while on one,” Oscar added. “Owen’s bad about that too.”

Josie bit her lip. “It’s just...it feels like more. Something...I don’t know what.”

Sebastian rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure it’s fine. They always come home just fine.”

Josie nodded. “True. But...that’s the end of the case. It’s the middle of this case that’s got me worried.”

“Maybe we should ask Santiago for red video phones,” Oscar suggested. “Would be nice to have a back up that has an unblockable signal.”

Josie nodded as she closed her texts and put her phone away. “You’re right. I guess I just miss her. I wish she was in this club.”

Riley laughed. “And yet we all know why she isn’t.”

Josie, Oscar and Sebastian all joined Riley in saying “Reason number one: The Cluefinders clearly already have their future planned out as detectives. And reason number two: It doesn’t matter where they are, where they’re going or what they’re doing; the Cluefinders WILL find a mystery and that almost always means finding trouble.”

Josie joined the laughter that followed but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Something that had never been wrong before…


	9. Chapter 9- Santiago

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Santiago wakes up.

_ ‘Ow… my head…’ _ Santiago thought as he slowly opened his eyes.  _ ‘That hurts…’ _

He blinked away the pain to see that he was lying on his back on a cot in a small room surrounded in darkness. An attempt to roll over onto his side worked, but his head spun when he looked at the floor.  _ ‘Yeah… I'm probably still drugged…’ _

_ “Entonces parece que estás despierto…” _

_ {So, it appears that you are awake…}  _ The man named Álvaro spoke from nearby.

Santiago lifted his head slightly to make eye contact with the man, he wasn't going to risk his head spinning again.  _ “Lo siento, ¿te conozco?” {I’m sorry, do I know you?} _

Álvaro shrugged casually.  _ “No, pero te conozco?” {No. But do I know you?} _ He leaned forward into the light and smiled viciously.  _ “Si. Santiago Mathew Rivera, hijo de dos operativos salvadoreños decididos a derribar lo que creen que es un gobierno malvado ... pero no somos malvados.” {Yes. Santiago Matthew Rivera, the son of two Salvador operatives determined to take down what they believe is an evil government… but we are not evil.} _

He rolled his eyes, then winced at the sharp pain that flashed through his head.  _ “He oído eso antes ... pero ¿por qué yo?” {I’ve heard that before… but why me?} _

He shrugged.  _ “Sencillo. Te usaremos para que tus padres cancelen la operación ... y tal vez te dejen ir después. Aún no estamos seguros.” {Simple. We’ll use you to get your parents to call off their operation… and maybe let you go afterward. We’re not sure yet.} _

Santiago groaned and let his head sag against the cot.  _ “Genial…” {Great…} _

Álvaro shrugged again.  _ “Ah, y si no haces lo que te decimos, podemos perseguir a tus amigos y lo haremos.” {Oh, and if you don’t do as we tell you, we can and will go after your friends.} _

His head snapped up from the cot.  _ “¡NO TE ATREVAS A ATREVERSE A TOCARLOS!” {DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE TOUCH THEM!!!}  _ He snarled, shoving himself off of the cot and lunging for him.

Álvaro stepped out of the room, closing the cell door behind him. Santiago fell flat on his face and started shaking in a mix of rage and heartbreak.  _ ‘O Dios, ayúdame por favor… lo necesito ahora más que nunca…’ {Oh God, help me please… I need it now more than ever…} _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mara: Yes, I used Google Translate to translate what they were saying.


	10. Chapter 10: Álvaro/Joni

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Álvaro makes contact with the Cluefinders.

Álvaro turned to one of his men.  _ “It has been a few days. Has contact been made?” _

_ “Unfortunately, no. It would appear that they are too busy to speak with us.” _

Álvaro shook his head.  _ “I suppose that merely stating that we had important matters to discuss was too vague. A pity.” _

A throat-clearing caught his attention.  _ “Yes, Ignacio?” _

_ “There is another problem as well. Though also possibly a boon as well.” _

_ “Explain.” _

_ “Well, the problem is those friends you have been using for leverage.” _

Álvaro raised an eyebrow.  _ “What problem could there be? He’s been quite angry at us threatening them yes but has been compliant.” _

_ “How much research did you do prior to all of this?” _

Álvaro stared at Ignacio for a few minutes but then realization hit.  _ “Ah. You mean that they are budding detectives.” _

_ “More than budding actually. They have solved many cases across the world and are quite well-regarded. They also appear to be as protective of our captive as he is of them.” _

Álvaro frowned.  _ “And what would the boon you mentioned be?” _

_ “I was able to clone the boy’s phone so I have all of his contacts available. And you are aware that he is the younger of two children, yes?” _

Álvaro smirked at this.  _ “Ah; baiting a trap as well as warding off some nuisances. What do you have in mind?” _

XXX

Joni paced in her living room as Leslie and Laptrap went through Santiago’s files. “Any luck?” she asked anxiously.

Leslie shook her head. “While there appear to be notes contemplating a DNA tracking device, I can find nothing more than the barest of notes. It appears that it was only an idea that Santiago has yet to experiment with.”

Joni cursed and collapsed in a chair, her head in her hands. “And we have nothing to go on?”

Owen nodded. “All we got is that whoever the kidnappers were, they spoke Spanish and used a black van with a covered up license plate.”

Joni took a deep breath. “Okay...so we don’t have much. But we can still…”

Laptrap suddenly buzzed. “Whoa! Video message from an unknown caller!”

“Should we watch it?” Owen asked.

He and Leslie looked at Joni for answers, like they had for years.

She swallowed hard and then nodded. “Laptrap, cue it.”

The turbo turtle nodded and extended his video screen. The video message cued up and Joni suddenly found herself only dimly aware of her surroundings as it unfolded.

Masked men dragged a bound Santiago in front of the camera and asked him to do...something in Spanish (Joni understood Spanish but right now her brain wasn’t able to interpret it) only to be met with an angry refusal.

Cruel laughter rang out before one of the men drew back a fist. The ensuing beating lasted what seemed like an eternity but probably was only a few minutes, leaving Santiago a shaking ball.

Then a voice spoke in English. “To what remains of the Cluefinders, seek us out and more of the same will result. After all, we’re still deciding if we’ll let your friend go when we complete our business with his parents…”

The video ended and Joni collapsed again, shaking as tears began to roll down her cheeks.


	11. Chapter 11- Santiago/Sebastian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Santiago's side of the previous chapter and Sebastian learns of the news.

Santiago looked up at the sound of the cell door opening again. Álvaro walked into the room and crossed his arms.  _ “Levántate. Necesitamos que hagas algo por nosotros.” {Get up. We need you to do something for us.} _

He glared at him.  _ “¿Y si no lo hago?” {And what if I don't?} _

The resulting slap across the face made Santiago purse his lips as his ears rang.  _ “Multa. Ya voy.” {Fine. I’m coming.} _

Álvaro grabbed his bound arms and pulled him down a long hallway into another room where a camera was set up. Santiago felt his stomach turn.  _ ‘Oh God… please don't let them…’ _

Álvaro turned on the camera and gestured for two other men to bring him over. They dragged Santiago over in front of the camera and set him down before Álvaro started speaking again.  _ “Ahora, les dirás a tus padres que cancelen la operación.” {Now, you are going to tell your parents to call off the operation.}  _

Santiago glared at him in anger.  _ “¡¡¡No hay manera en EL INFIERNO!!!” {No way in HELL!!!} _ He snapped.

The man cackled wickedly before pain blossomed across his body, lasting for what seemed like an eternity before it finally stopped and he dropped to the ground, curling up in a shaking ball as Álvaro could be heard saying “To what remains of the Cluefinders, seek us out and more of the same will result. After all, we’re still deciding if we’ll let your friend go when we complete our business with his parents…”

Santiago felt a grim smirk flash across his face. Álvaro may have threatened his crushes… but if he knew anything besides that about them, he only succeeded in raising hell...

XXX

Sebastian stared at the video long after it had ended, his mouth wide open. 

“...WHAT THE FUCK?!?” Riley yelled, clutching their boyfriend’s hand as they stared at the screen where the video had just been. “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!?”

Sebastian nodded wordlessly and stared at it again. “...I should do it.” He said softly.

Josie’s face snapped to his. “NO! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!?”

“Bastian, no Way! You can’t just do as they say!” Oscar argued.

“But they have my brother!” He argued, slamming his hands on the table. “I can't just sit here when he’s in danger!”

Riley shook their head. “Just listen to yourself! I can’t let you do that, Bastian. You’ll just get hurt!”

Sebastian groaned and buried his head in his hands. “...fine. I won't go. But he did say I’ll regret not turning myself in!”

Oscar shrugged and crossed his arms. “No more than they’ll regret kidnapping Santiago once our siblings find him.”

“If they find him.” He muttered.

Riley glared at him. “They’re going to find him. Now shut up and let our siblings handle the problem.”

“I'm calling Joni.” Josie said with the most angry expression he had ever seen on her.  _ ‘She looks cute when she does that…’ _

“That’s not necessary!” He protested.

Josie just glared at him. “I’m calling Joni.” She repeated. “To ask her. Why didn't she tell us. WHEN THIS FIRST HAPPENED?!?”


	12. Chapter 12: Leslie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie has a plan.
> 
> It's a completely idiotic plan, but it might work.

Just as Joni was starting to compose herself, her cell started ringing. Leslie happened to be closer to it and picked it up. She winced. “It would appear that Josie has reason to contact you.”

Joni sighed. “Put it on speaker.”

Leslie complied and a clearly very annoyed Josie bit out “Mind telling me why we found out about Santiago going missing because someone wants to blackmail Sebastian?”

Leslie winced, mirrored by both Joni and Owen. Joni sighed. “Can you put your phone on speaker, Josie? We...kinda all need to be involved in this.”

There was a short period of shuffling. Then Sebastian’s voice came out of the phone. “How long has he been missing?”

“Just shy of a week,” Joni said awkwardly. “But before the video, we had no idea why or who...and we still don’t really know either.”

Sebastian sighed. “Whoever is behind this wants to blackmail our parents...and apparently they’re not satisfied with only having one bargaining chip.”

There was silence. Then Leslie broke it. “Am I to understand that they are demanding you to surrender to them?”

“Yes. They...they said I’d regret not doing what they say.”

“Dude, putting yourself in danger won’t fix this,” Owen said softly.

“Well, do you have any ideas?” Oscar asked sharply. “Any of you?”

Joni groaned. “No. For once, I have no ideas. Leslie?”

Leslie thought for a minute. Then she began “I might have an idea…”

To her surprise, Sebastian was saying the same thing.

There was another pause. Then Leslie asked “Would I be accurate in assuming that your plan is one that could only be called stupid?”

“But might have the saving grace of working,” Sebastian said awkwardly.

“What? What are you two talking about?” Josie and Joni asked in unison.

“What is the best way one can deal with a trap that is known to be a trap?” Leslie asked.

After a long pause, Sebastian said “You spring it.”

There was silence. Then Josie said “No...Oh no! Did you not hear what Oscar and Riley were saying before this call?! You can’t give them what they want!”

“And why are you so adamant about that?” Sebastian asked.

“Because I’m in love with you, you fucking moron!”

The call went silent for several minutes. Then Owen commented “Okay; so Josie ISN’T Amy Pond.”

Joni groaned. “Putting aside the sci-fi reference, are you sure about this, Sebastian?”

“No but we don’t have anything else.”

Josie groaned before saying “Fine. Then we’re all heading back to San Francisco. Oscar, Riley and I might as well act as ground crew while you, Joni, Owen and Leslie go on this insanity.”

Leslie grimaced but as already established, this was the only plan they had...and if it failed...she shivered; she didn’t want to think about it.


	13. Chapter 13- Santiago/Joni

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rescue is attempted.

Santiago started shivering and wincing in pain as he pulled his legs up to his chest.  _ ‘God, wherever I am… it’s really cold…’ _

He tapped his hands against his legs and glared at the cell door.  _ ‘But at least I know that the others are coming for me…’ _

Álvaro could be heard talking through the door, something about making sure that he’s “locked up tight so he can’t escape…” Santiago rolled his eyes.  _ ‘After that beating you gave me earlier, you should be glad I haven't got the strength to kick your asses, because I promise you this: if you hurt them, I  _ _ will _ _ hurt you!’ _

XXX

Joni reached out and grabbed Sebastian’s shoulder, squeezing it as comfortingly as she could manage right now with her anger continuing to grow. “This will work… okay?” She said softly.

Sebastian nodded. “I know… I’m still worried though.”

“They’re coming!” Owen hissed and pulled her back into the bushes. Sebastian sighed and turned back around as the black van pulled up to the curb. The window rolled down and a man's voice spoke softly, the wind luckily changing to blow in their direction. “Sebastian Rivera?”

“That’s me…” he said loudly.

Joni glanced at Owen and Leslie as they continued talking before two men jumped out of the back of the van and grabbed his arms. “Hey, let me go!” He yelled.

“Now!” She whispered and they ran toward the van, diving into it just before Sebastian was taken inside. The doors slammed shut and the van began to move, and Joni grabbed Santiago’s red phone and pressed it into his hand. Leslie and Owen unlocked the doors, throwing them open as Sebastian glanced back at them.

“You bring my brother home, do you hear me?” He whispered.

Owen nodded. “We will.”

“We guarantee it.” Leslie added.

Sebastian nodded and jumped out of the van, rolling over his shoulder as he stayed to the ground enough for the kidnappers to not see his escape.

The three shut the doors and glanced at each other, all releasing their previously held breath as they collapsed onto the floor.

“Well…” Owen said into the silence. “Let’s not do this again.”

“Agreed.” The girls chorused.

Joni curled up on the floor with a sigh.  _ ‘This is going to be a very long ride…’ _


	14. Chapter 14: Joni

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rescue is in progress and confessions are made.

As the van finally pulled to a stop, Joni hid her red video phone so that Laptrap could track its location and send it to the police. _ ‘I have NO interest in trying to arrest these guys…’ _

“Ready?” she asked her companions; they nodded and carefully followed her out of the van.

They managed to slip away just in time for the driver to discover his prisoner had escaped. The man cursed in Spanish and went off to search.

The three teenagers headed into the warehouse.

Leslie shivered, rubbing her arms rapidly. “It would appear that this warehouse’s thermostat has malfunctioned. It’s absolutely frigid in here.”

“No time to think about that,” Joni whispered. “We need to find Santiago before they figure out Sebastian went back on their deal.”

Owen and Leslie nodded and they began trying doors. Most of them were unlocked and those that weren’t were a simple matter of using the lockpicking device Santiago had made a couple years back.

After the umpteenth empty room, Joni let out a loud groan and leaned against the next door. “We’re running out of time.”

“Hence why we need to keep looking,” Leslie said, resting a hand on Joni’s shoulder.

“I know. It’s just...I...I’ve been thinking about what Clarissa said.”

Owen and Leslie gave her bewildered looks.

“Why do you care about what that brat thinks?” Owen asked incredulously.

“Brat or not, she...may have had a point. I should have known that something was up. That someone was sneaking around. I...I’m supposed to be the one responsible for you guys.”

Leslie shook her head. “No. I should have been more insistent. If I had demanded we search, we would have caught that spy that day.”

“Guys.” The two girls turned towards Owen. “We’re all blaming ourselves for what’s gone wrong.” Then he suddenly looked thoughtful. “And maybe for what’s not going right…”

Joni blinked at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “You know how everyone remarks on how they don’t understand how the four of us are friends?”

Joni nodded, an action Leslie mirrored.

“Well, maybe we’ll end up confusing them further…”

Joni wasn’t immediately sure of what he meant but the sudden blush on his cheeks made her realize…“Do you mean what I think you mean?”


	15. Chapter 15- Santiago

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara: SOULMATE BOND SOULMATE BOND SOULMATE BOND!!!

“...We’re running out of time.”

Santiago looked up from the floor and stared at the door.  _ ‘There’s… that’s…’ _

“Hence why we need to keep looking.”

His heart soared through the ceiling, flying like a falcon straight into the sun.  _ ‘They’re here!!!’ _

He scrambled to his feet, tripping over himself in his excitement and nearly smacking his face on the door.  _ ‘JONI! LESLIE! OWEN!’ _

“I know. It’s just...I...I’ve been thinking about what Clarissa said.” Joni said.

Santiago frowned at that.  _ ‘What did she say to her?’ _

“Why do you care about what that brat thinks?” Owen asked incredulously.

“Brat or not, she...may have had a point. I should have known that something was up. That someone was sneaking around. I...I’m supposed to be the one responsible for you guys.”

“No.” Leslie said. “I should have been more insistent. If I had demanded we search, we would have caught that spy that day.”

“Guys.” Owen’s voice ripped through the door. “We’re all blaming ourselves for what’s gone wrong.” Santiago heard him pause and say “And maybe for what’s not going right…”

“What do you mean?” He muttered. “This wasn't your fault… you guys know that…” he rested his arm on the door and laid his head against it.

“You know how everyone remarks on how they don’t understand how the four of us are friends?” Owen asked. His voice suddenly broke from nervousness and Santiago pulled his head away from the door in confusion.  _ ‘Owen… what are you getting at…?’ _

“Well, maybe we’ll end up confusing them further…”

“Do you mean what I think you mean?” Joni whispered.

Owen chuckled. “I hope so… if you think that I mean that I’ve been crushing on all three of you for a while now.”

“...no…way…” he muttered. “There’s no way…”

Leslie made a noise that sounded like she was holding back a joyful scream. “You’re informing us of this in a moment where we are off our guards?”

“Yeah.” Owen said, relief flooding his voice. “I am… and I wanted to tell you that for a while.”

“Owen…” Leslie said gently.

Joni suddenly sniffled and her voice grew muffled. “I just didn't know how to tell you… I’ve loved you all for a while now, and I just couldn't find the words!”

Santiago rested his head against the door. “...and I feel the exact same way…” he said softly.

**_*CLICK*_ **

_ ‘Ah, JESÚS-!’  _ Heat suddenly burned on his neck and he hissed, snapping his hand to his neck before-

_ /...Santiago?/  _ three voices said in unison.

He couldn't breathe.

_ /...Guys?/  _ He thought.

The door was abruptly yanked open and his best friends, his loves of his life, his-

**SOULMATES** \- 

sprinted into the room and tackled him in a hug. He huffed out a breath of air and held them close to his chest. 

_ /...DON’T YOU EVER SCARE US LIKE THAT AGAIN!!!/ _ Owen yelled.

He chuckled softly. “Alright… I won't… I’ll try…”

Joni suddenly gasped and leaned away from him, staring at him in shock. “Oh my God-”

_ /-are you okay?!?/ _

Santiago nodded.  _ /Yeah, I’m fine./  _ he suddenly blushed. “Now that you guys are here.”

Leslie blushed. “We were wor-”

_ /-ried about you./ _ she said before she frowned. “Wait. How are we able to communicate telepathically?”

Joni just shrugged. “I don't know, Leslie.” 

_ /Right now, let’s get out of here./ _ she added, the three grabbing Santiago’s hand before bolting toward the exit.


	16. Chapter 16: Leslie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara: SOULMATE BOND SOULMATE BOND SOULMATE BOND!!!
> 
> (Pt. 2 feat. soulmate powers and reactions.)

“Where do you think you’re going?” a voice suddenly asked silkily.

Santiago froze. Then he glared over his shoulder. “Álvaro...it’s over. The police are on their way now.”

Álvaro, as the man’s name apparently was, smirked and remarked “Perhaps. But I did say that if your friends came and your brother didn’t, there would be many regrets…”

He let out a sharp whistle and several men suddenly appeared.

Leslie cursed quietly.  _ ‘We’re outnumbered and outmatched. Why didn’t I think to bring my slingshot?’ _

As the men advanced, Álvaro let out a laugh. “Of course, I suppose the person who needs to be punished most is you, Santiago. But to target you and make them watch or reverse it...decisions, decisions…”

Leslie let out a snarl as her hands curled into fists. Then she let out a hiss of pain as something wet and slick found its way onto her palms.

“Les?” Owen asked. “What happened to your teeth?”

“My...teeth?” As Leslie reached up to see what he meant, she suddenly froze. Now she understood what had happened to her hands; she had sprouted the claws (apparently also the teeth) of a cat but...why?

“What...what the hell?!” one of the men asked, backing away. “What are they?”

Leslie followed his gaze as it drifted from her to Joni and startled when her eyes fell on the redhead. Not only was Joni sporting feline claws and teeth but also a pair of eagle wings.

“What are we?” Joni growled, a ball of flame appearing in one of her palms. “Well, one thing I know I am is PISSED!”

“You...you can’t take us all!” the frightened man stuttered.

Joni tossed the fireball, prompting screams. “We don’t have to…” Then she glanced at Owen. “Owen, get Santiago outside and wait for the police.”

“Um...and how am I supposed to do that without getting caught? I can’t outrun all these guys.”

“Maybe not but I’m pretty sure you can outfly them.”

“Outf…” Owen let out a soft yelp and glanced over his shoulder to see the cause. “Huh. Okay; I have wings…” He shook his head. “Figure out why later; get the hell out of here now.”

“Yeah; sounds like a plan,” Santiago said as he allowed Owen to scoop him up and start flying for what was hopefully an exit.

“So you ready to go Violently Protective Girlfriend?” Joni asked, a feral smile on her face.

Leslie returned it with one of her own. “Oh yes. Let’s.”

And with that, the pair rushed forward to take their anger out on the people who had caused it in the first place.


	17. Chapter 17- Owen/Joni

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fight happens and an escape is made.

_ ‘Gotta find a way out.../ _ Owen thought as he flew toward the exit sign he had spotted earlier, only to find a doorway blocked off by a door of steel. 

“Shit.” He muttered. “I honestly thought…”

The man from below yelled something and Santiago winced. “Owen, hold on to me!”

“No way! You’re injured!” He argued, but let Santiago down on the second floor gently. He rushed over to the door, looked around for the knob, and cursed. “No way out… DAMN IT!!!” He yelled, punching the door with his fist.

The door promptly bent outward and they froze. 

“...well that’s new.” Owen joked.

Santiago smiled. “Yeah… come on. I’m ready to get out of here.”

Owen grabbed his boyfriend’s (actually, he wasn't sure what they were right now and just decided to say that) hand and flew out of the door, landing outside and collapsing into each other's arms in relief.

_ /I wonder how Joni and Leslie are holding up./ _

XXX

_ /We’re fine, Owen!/ _ Joni yelled, dodging a man throwing a knife-  _ ‘where’d they get the knives from?!?’ _ -at her and Leslie grabbing said knife and throwing it right back at him, pinning him to the wall by his shirt with startling accuracy.

“This is kinda fun…” She yelled to Leslie, who ducked one man’s attack by sending him into a row of boxes- 

though they were covered with a tarp she could see they were labeled  **_“Pe-”_ **

-before they were abruptly snapped by the man’s body hitting them.

Leslie nodded and Joni flew toward her, picking her up as Santiago yelled  _ /Hey, the police are here!!!/ _

She landed just inside the doorway outside and glanced at Leslie. “How are we going to explain this?”

Leslie shrugged casually and flexed her claws before they- and her teeth abruptly vanished at the same time as Joni’s and Owen’s new physical features. “We tell them the truth about what transpired during our successful rescue.”

_ /Sounds good to me./ _ Owen chimed in.

The girls shared a smile and ran outside to see their friends, lovers,  **soulmates** standing there looking at them. The four ran toward each other and wrapped their arms around themselves, shaking.

_ /You’re okay./ _

They didn't understand what all this meant…

But they were…

Okay.


	18. Chapter 18: Laptrap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laptrap offers an explanation for their new powers.

Laptrap eyed the assemblage of teenagers in the Savage living room. The conversation was surprisingly light given everything that had happened over the past few days though except for the fact that Mateo and Elena Rivera had been absolutely horrified to find out what had happened to their younger son while they were off the grid, things were winding down.

“So…” Joni said finally. “I guess this is as good a time as any to talk about these?”

She rubbed the new mark on her wrist, a magnifying glass resting on an open book.

“And the extraordinary abilities we displayed during Santiago’s rescue,” Leslie added.

Laptrap cleared his throat. “Well, considering what you four told me, it looks like you have a soulmate bond now. With soulmarks, telepathy and even powers.”

“Okay; that makes sense,” Owen said. “But why did we end up with what we’ve got?”

Riley spoke up. “I can’t be completely sure but I have read that it’s possible for an extremely paranormal event to shape what powers a soulmate bond triggers.”

There was a long pause. Then Josie started laughing. “Oh my god! So you guys are STILL champions of Egyptian gods?!”

“Huh?” Joni asked, blinking at her sister.

“Well, Owen and Santiago clearly have the abilities they were granted for the battle against Set,” Josie explained. “You and Leslie on the other hand seem to have something extra. The powers of your patrons’ sacred animals.”

“So wait; sphinxes summon fire?” Joni asked incredulously.

“They can actually command all four of the classical elements. So you can Firebend, Waterbend, Earthbend and Airbend.” Josie giggled. “Not to mention the wings, claws and teeth.”

Joni let out a long sigh. “This is going to be fun to explain…”


	19. Chapter 19- Joni

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kids have a chat and Joni deals with Clarissa again.

_ “Hey, Joni!”  _ Sally Kimball said, leaning back in her chair in Idaville.  _ “What’s going on?” _

Joni shrugged casually, though her heart was racing like a train engine. “Nothing much… if you don't count the past few days.”

Josh Pinto shook his head.  _ “What happened now?” _

Santiago chuckled. “Long story short, some people kidnapped me to get back at my parents. Joni, Owen, Leslie, and my brother made plans to rescue me, and… well… we found out we’re soulmates. All four of us.”

Dawn Duncan’s eyes lit up.  _ “Congratulations!”  _ She shouted, clapping her hands together.

The other Kids all gave their congratulations and Joni bit back a frown before slowly asking “...you’re okay with it?”

Encyclopedia Brown frowned.  _ “Joni, you and your frie- excuse me, soulmates- are our friends. Why wouldn't we be okay with it?” _

She smiled and shrugged. “Just wondering about it…”

She leaned into Santiago and smiled.  _ /I think things are going to be okay./ _

XXX

The four sat down at the lunch table, this time Santiago had his hand protectively on Joni’s shoulder as the other students whispered about the new marks on their skin and the laughter in their group. Joni just ignored the whispers like they had always done, it wasn't their fault they had such an attraction to mysteries.

“Well, hello again, Joni.” Clarissa said with her sickeningly sweet voice as she walked over to their table. “I see you have your followers back again…”

“Clarissa, just do us all a favor and shut up.” Joni snapped and turned back to Owen. “Anyway...”

Clarissa jerked back as if she had been slapped. 

Before she ever said anything, Santiago pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and glanced up at Clarissa. “Do you mind?”

Clarissa’s mouth dropped open and she stormed off, and the four burst into laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! We will be posting more "Kid Detectives" stories over the next few weeks.  
> We hope you stay tuned and enjoy!
> 
> <3~Mara Jade


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